Collins named one of DC's Most Powerful Women

Power moves: When Collins was 18, she met with Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Maine’s first female member of Congress, on a trip to DC. She has now held Smith’s seat for 17 years and is known as one of the crucially important (and increasingly rare) bipartisan players.

If we could get as many Republican women elected as the Democrats:“Women would be a third of Congress. I’d argue there would be a better balance and more people in the center, which is of great importance to me. Women span the ideological spectrum. We don’t think alike, but we do bring a different life experience and perspective. We tend to be more collaborative and problem solving. There has been a real effort in this cycle to recruit women to run on the Republican ticket. I’m optimistic we can increase our numbers.”